Need advice with internal DVD Drive

Hello, my dvd drive reads CD's but not DVD's (Movie or Data). It makes a clicking sound then ejects the DVD which made me think it was a hardware failure, but when I put in a CD,it is fine. I've deleted the dvd.plist and ran permmission fixer. Any ideas, or should I just get a new drive.

Go here and scream at Apple for refusing to address this ongoing issue. Explain the issue(s) you are having. -
http://www.apple.com/macosx/feedback/
People keep starting new discussion threads on this same old problem. If you have the money to go out and spend around $20 (US) on a DVD lens cleaner, please post your result here.
I posted the following response yesterday in a similar thread:
I realize this isn't a forum for venting, but I'm really getting sick of this ongoing issue. Where is Apple in all of this? Read on, if you want to see how far back this goes.
I have an older G5, purchased in November 2003, with a Pioneer Stupordrive which exhibits the same awful behavior. I've been following these G5 Superdrive discussion threads for nearly a year, and I've tried most of the suggestions offered. None have worked for me, and it appears that there are a large number of Mac owners with similar DVD drive problems.
My Stupordrive used to mount and play ALL DVDs. That lasted for about 1-1/2 years from purchase. Now it plays some retail DVD movies, but not others. It burns DVDs just fine, but won't read them (see below). Sometimes it ejects them, other times it just sits there trying to mount with the "unfomatted floppy" sound until I manually eject via the eject key (takes two tries). I have used various brands for burning, including the over-priced DVD-R's (4x) from the Apple store. No problems with burning or reading CDs. I will try Verbatim, but seriously doubt it will make any difference. The worst part of this is that I have about 25Gb of unreachable DATA on DVDs.
This problem seems to be prevalent, and is independent of OS version, purchase date, or configuration. Before I go out and spend money (even $40) on a new drive, I want to be sure it will not behave the same way because of some fundamental flaw in the G5 architecture or the OS.
I have an ancient Micron PC that's six years old with its original DVD player. Guess what; it mounts and plays/reads every DVD I put in it, including those I burned on the Mac.
Can anyone suggest a drive that will work on the G5 and last for more than a year or so?

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Need help with cd/dvd drive problem.

I have a MacBook (black) running OS 10.6.8. The internal cd/dvd drive no longer works. I put in a disk and it gets pushed back out after a few seconds.
I just bought a LG Ultra Slim Portable DVD Writer model GP 60NB50. The MacBook recognizes the LG drive for opening music and movies, and for burning photos to a disk.
I have been unable to use the LG drive as a start-up drive. I put Disk Warrior into the drive and restarted the computer holding down the “C” key. When the computer starts to launch there is a flash of a “?” on the screen then it loads from the hard disk. I also tried using the Apple start up disk that came with the computer but that also failed.
Any idea how I can get the LG drive to become a start-up drive when needed?
Thanks,
Orin

If your computer is a TouchSmart, and I am only guessing that it is, this document might help.
Good luck!
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c01496336&tmp_task=solveCategory&lc=en&dlc=en&cc...
GeorgeFN
I work on behalf of HP.

Advice on internal DVD drive

Hi....I have a stock-standard, factory CD-RW drive in my G4 and I'm looking at installing a DVD drive (maybe just a DVD reader or possibly a DVD reader/writer)
I have heard the actual process of installing is quite easy but I was just wondering peoples thoughts on what would be a good product/brand to buy?
Also just wondering what sort of things I should look out for or avoid? sizes? drivers? do PC ones go into Macs? etc etc
any advice would be greatly appreciated
many thanks

You will want to get some more RAM, it's really cheap. About $50 for 512GB.
Your graphics card is stone age, you eventually will want a better one.
For now, I would go one step at a time, put the DVD burner in and try out a movie. It will play with what you have, and if that is good enough for you, you are home free.
I have seen the Pioneer drives for around $30. at www.newegg.com. Almost every drive will run on your Mac. Some need Patchburn, a free utility that will change the drive settings to do everything on a Mac. Most don't neet this.
Mac world has an article that shows how to remove and replace a burner. If you know which end of a screwdriver goes in the screw, it's a piece of cake. Good luck.
Power Mac G4 (AGP Graphics) Dual 500 Mac OS X (10.4.7) 2 GB Ram, Nvidia FX5500 agp card

I need help with my DVD drive.

After 4 hours of wandering around the net and not finding anything of use, I suspect I am posting on the wrong board. But hopefully somebody will do whatever is necessary to get this in the right place.
Long story short, my Satellite A215-S4817 DVD drive is being a bit temperamental, it can read and burn DVD-R's but can't read retail DVD's. The OS is Vista if that helps.

If you use toast make sure on the left, it is selected to PC & Mac
If you use Popcorn and it automatically compresses.
Both of these softwares will read and copy at the best speed It is all automatic.
There are several things that might affect your process, It depends on if you are copying DATA, AUDIO, MOVIES, and if you are using ripping software.
Cheers Don
One last thing, Not all players will read newer Formats
http://www.videohelp.com/dvd.htm

Need Help with External DVD Drive on my iMac

Hi, This is my first post and I hope there is someone out there that can help me. My PC just died and I'm finally moving on and taking it where it belongs, the dumpster. Anyways, I've been using my Pioneer DVD burner in there and now I'm trying to use it on my Intel iMac. When I hooked it up using an external firewire case, this is what shows up in my profiler.
PIONEER DVD-RW DVR-110D:
Firmware Revision: 1.41
Interconnect: FireWire
Burn Support: Yes (Apple Shipped/Supported)
Cache: 2000 KB
Reads DVD: Yes
CD-Write: -R, -RW
DVD-Write: -R, -RW, +R, +RW, +R DL
Burn Underrun Protection CD: Yes
Burn Underrun Protection DVD: Yes
Write Strategies: CD-TAO, CD-SAO, CD-Raw, DVD-DAO
Media: No
Even though it is Apple supported, nothing mounts and it cannot burn anything in iTunes, Toast, etc. Can someone out there help me out.
Thanks in advance!
Montri - THAIICE

Apple Discussions!
Since you have an Intel, you will need to repost in the Using DVDs and CDs with your Intel-based iMac Forum so that users using the same model computer as yourself will be able to help you.
This is the G5 iMac Forum.

G4 PowerMac with Mirror Doors - NEEDS INTERNAL DVD DRIVE

Greetings,
I have been trying to purchase an internal DVD drive for my Mac G4 with mirrored doors. All the DVD drives I've tried all have 5.125" wide doors and will not work on my Mac. The CD drive in the Mac now is 4.875". MacMall has nothing that will fit this Mac and they told me my size is not standard. Does anyone have any ideas, suggestions please??
Thanks,
Dan in Massachusetts

Hi-
Compare the following two drives:
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Apple/DVR109AB/
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Pioneer/DVR112DBK/
Note that the 109 has no front bezel, and slips in with no modification. The 112 has a front bezel, but, as noted by Flycast, can easily be removed, and will fit into your computer.
Whomever told you your computer is "non-standard" knows little of Mac's......
G4AGP(450)Sawtooth, 2ghz PowerLogix, 2gbRAM, 300gbSATA+160gbATA, ATI Radeon 9800 Mac OS X (10.4.8) Pioneer DVR-109, ExtHD 160gb x2, 23"Cinema Display, Ratoc USB2.0, Nikon Coolscan

To install Tiger, some Macs need internal DVD drive, or CD version of Tiger

Disclaimer: Apple does not necessarily endorse any suggestions, solutions, or third-party software products that may be mentioned in the topic below. Apple encourages you to first seek a solution at Apple Support. The following links are provided as is, with no guarantee of the effectiveness or reliability of the information. Apple does not guarantee that these links will be maintained or functional at any given time. Use the information below at your own discretion.
Some Macs while they have Firewire, don't support Target Disk Mode, nor Firewire booting. These Macs if they came with no DVD drive, and only a CD drive or CD-RW drive (as opposed to combo or superdrive), can only install Tiger (Mac OS X 10.4) if you:
1. Install a compatible internal DVD drive from which supports http://www.patchburn.de/ or other firmware that supports Mac OS X booting.
2. Find the original retail CD version of Mac OS X 10.4 that was available for a limited time called the Media Exchange Program CD.
These Macs include the Blue and White G3 desktop (non-iMac), and the PCI PowerMac G4 described below:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=58418
The iMac G3 with built-in Firewire, iBook G3 with built-in Firewire, and AGP PowerMac G4 with built-in Firewire at least support Firewire booting and Target Disk Mode which would allow them to use an external optical DVD drive that supports Mac OS X booting.
If they didn't have an internal DVD drive.
Port #4 in this image below is a Firewire port:
Notes: Macs released on or after April 26, 2005 need to install Tiger from the discs that came with them, or a newer retail release except Intel Macs. Retail release of Tiger is a black disc with a white X logo and does not say Upgrade or Update.
Intel Macs could only install Tiger from the discs that came with them.
Macs released on or after October 26, 2007 can't install Tiger.
Do you want to provide feedback on this User Contributed Tip or contribute your own? If you have achieved Level 2 status, visit the User Tips Library Contributions forum for more information.

What happens if the firmware isn't updated?
The display may stop working, even for OS 9. It is not easy to fix.
I just installed 10.2 on one of them and it seems to be working. Should I uninstall it and upgrade the firmware and start over?
Check the "Boot ROM version" with System profiler. If the firmware is updated it will be 4.1.9
It is not necessary to remove OSX to install the updates if OS 9 is still on the hard drive. If not, and the OS 9 drivers are there, OS 9 can be installed without affecting OSX.
The update won't install if it is not needed.

Replacing Internal DVD Drive with HDD in Mac Mini?

Has anyone tried replacing the internal DVD drive with a hard drive, giving you TWO internal hard drives? I think you need a cable to match up the SATA connectors. Then you could use a USB external enclosure for the DVD.
Thanks.

Very interesting, thanks el Duque. Too bad MCE doesn't make a carrier for the Mac Mini. I wonder if one for a Macbook Pro can be easily modified to fit?
I have just learned that the SATA connector on the logic board for the optical drive in Macbooks and the Mini is called a "Slim-SATA" connector. Instead of the power side of the connector having 15 pins, it only has 6, with both types of connectors having a standard 7-pin data side. Both power and data hook-ups are achieved in a single connector -- a power side and data side.
Since the ports on 2.5" hard drives are "standard" SATA connectors, AND they don't match up to the logic board's connector location (like with the connector location on the optical drive), a cable is needed to run between the HDD and the logic board connector.
Unfortunately, such a cable is not available -- yet. Instead, one has to be fabricated out of two types of SATA cables -- a Molex 4-pin to SATA 15-pin power cable and a combination cable that looks like this:
http://www.byteccusa.com/product/SATA/SATA-XP118/SATA-XP118.htm
The fabrication involves replacing the molex 4-pin power end of the combi-cable with the SATA power end of the molex 4-pin to SATA power cable (cutting and soldering). The BIG question now is whether a HDD will work with just the two-wire power cable (of the combi-Sata cable) that an optical drive normally uses? Anyone know if it will? Thanks.

Internal DVD drive is shot. Can I install SL from an external DVD drive?

Hi folks, a quick (well actually a few) questions.
I've had my imac since early '06. It's currently running Tiger, and I'd like to install Snow Leopard. The problem is that the internal DVD drive is shot. It's been occasionally refusing to accept DVDs for a while now, and now it has a DVD stuck in it (not mounted), which I can't get out via terminal, rebooting, or jiggling it (technical term I know).
Now, I'm going to assume that getting apple to replace the DVD drive will be more expensive than just grabbing an external drive, especially as I'll most probably only use it once. The question is, if I grab a cheap external DVD drive, will I be able to install Snow Leopard with it? Or will Tiger not recognise it as a boot drive?
Many thanks,
Chris
p.s. Also, I'm using a cheapo windows style keyboard (will be replacing asap), and I'm wondering if this is why I can't see bootable drives when holing option on startup?

Yes, you can install from an external drive, although I wouldn’t go for a cheap one. There are good, relatively inexpensive, drives out there. And you are going to need that option key to select the install disk as your startup. I believe there is a corresponding key on a PC keyboard, but I don’t know what it is (maybe Alt?). I’m sure someone can jump in here and tell us.

Internal DVD Drive isn't working... must install Windows via Boot Camp

My internal DVD Drive has died. Just keeps ejecting every CD or DVD I put in it.
*The real problem is that i need to install Windows via BootCamp...*
I've already defraged my Hard Drive and partioned it for the Windows installation
But even using an external USB DVD Drive I couldn't get to boot up from it
to install Windows XP SP3.
BootCamp lets me use the windows disc that is inside my external DVD drive
and it even restarts... but after the restart chime, and the grey screen, it doesn't
start the windows installation... it continues to boot to my Mac partition.
(i've tried to manually change the boot disc in System Preferences, but it was in vain)
I also tried to use another Mac's DVD drive in Target Disk Mode... no results.
I even tried to Copy-Paste the entire file system of a Windows installation from a BootCamp of a friend but had no success making it to work.
*Is there any way I can install Windows with my external DVD drive?*
Because I don't have the cash for buying a new one right now...
And I really need windows installed via BootCamp...
Thanks in advance,

For this problem there no alternative > I bought a new internal DVD drive and then I was able to install Windows via Bootcamp.

Loading CS5 Master Collection onto new Macbook Pro with no DVD drive

I have a complete, legitimate, registered version of CS5 Master Collection. I also have a new Macbook Pro with no DVD drive. I have lost the disk, but have the box and confirmation email when I registered the product, with the key code. This product cost alot of money and I really need to get it onto my new machine. Can I do this without having the additional cost of a new DVD drive? I already paid for and own the software with keys so it's not like I'm trying to bend anything or do it for free. Any advice would be appreciated thank you.

Download the CS5 Master Collection trial version from
http://prodesigntools.com/all-adobe-cs5-direct-download-links.html
You must follow the Very Important Instructions on that page first otherwise the links will not work.
Launch the trial and enter your serial number to license it.

Need inputs regarding the dvd drive on primary ide channel.

Specs:
Motherboard: MSI P35 Neo3 (MS-7935 1.0)
CPU: Intel Core2 Duo E6550
Memory: Team Elite DDR2800 (2x1GB Dual Channel)
Hard drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 500GB 32MB Cache (SATA)
Optical drive: LG GSA-H55L (IDE only) Firmware version 1.02
Graphics card: Gecube HD3870
Chipset: Intel P35/G33/G31 (Rev. A2)
Southbridge: Intel 82801IB (ICH9)
LPCIO: Fintek F71882F
BIOS: AMI V1.1 (11/07/2007)
Hello,
Almost all new motherboards today only have a primary ide channel and the rest are SATA.
I need inputs regarding the dvd drive which is shown in device manager as located on the primary ide channel while the hard drive is located on the secondary channel. Because I would like to update the dvd drive to the latest firmware (version 1.06; to be able to recognize more blank media) but the LG site recommends that the drive (dvd) be located on the secondary ide channel.
I already tried to uninstall every channel from the device manager but all would still be the same after reboot, dvd drive on primary, hard drive on secondary.
Current ide mode in BIOS is set to AHCI+IDE mode, DMA modes are fine (UDMA4 for dvd, UDMA5 for hard drive), boot sequence (1st=HD, 2nd=DVD, 3rd=Floppy drive)
Tried switching to IDE mode only in BIOS but would not detect the optical drive. Never tried RAID+IDE mode since I only have a single hard drive.
I'm not sure but if I try to update the firmware, it might instead try to update the hard drive's firmware instead of the optical drive and make the hard drive unusable.
I would like to know if anybody with this same situation was able to successfully update the optical drive's firmware or is there some way to place the optical drive on the secondary ide channel and the hard drive on primary for me to follow and replicate the process.
Thank you for any replies.

Thanks sir NovJoe for the reply.
Just received the solution from another forum where I posted the same problem.
They said that the flash program for the firmware will detect the drive on its own and would not flash other devices except the optical drive itself. So its pretty safe, and I can confirm this since I just flashed my ODD a little over a while ago and everything went fine. No errors.
Though I'm speaking for the brand of ODD I own and may be different for other brands so take precautions as well. It may be different for the others.

Internal dvd drive no longer plays idvd burned projects

My internal dvd drive has been acting strange lately. It will play mass produced dvds but does not play my idvd projects, which it used to do. Anyone know if cleaning will help? If so, can you recommend a cleaner for an imac dvd drive?
If cleaning won't help, am I better off going to apple and having it replaced, or simply buying a compatible external drive? If an external, any recommendations?
Thanks!

You can use any proprietary lens cleaner for a DVD/CD player, except the ones using a liquid.
When you have cleaned the Superdrive, do a bit of maintenance:
Repairing permissions is important, and should always be carried out both before and after any software installation or update.
Go to Disk Utility (this is in your Utilities Folder in your Application folder) and click on the icon of your hard disk (not the one with all the numbers).
In First Aid, click on Repair Permissions.
This only takes a minute or two in Tiger, but much longer in Leopard.
Background information here:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=25751
and here:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=302672
An article on troubleshooting Permissions can be found here:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2963
By the way, you can ignore any messages about SUID or ACL file permissions, as explained here:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1448?viewlocale=en_US
If you were having any serious problems with your Mac you might as well complete the exercise by repairing your hard disk as well. You cannot do this from the same start-up disk. Reboot from your install disk (holding down the C key). Once it opens, select your language, and then go to Disk Utility from the Utilities menu. Select your hard disk as before and click Repair.
Once that is complete reboot again from your usual start-up disk.
More useful reading here:
Resolve startup issues and perform disk maintenance with Disk Utility and fsck
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1417?viewlocale=en_US
For a full description of how to resolve Disk, Permission and Cache Corruption, you should read this FAQ from the X Lab:
http://www.thexlab.com/faqs/repairprocess.html
Then reboot your Mac and try burning a DVD again.

Need to install external dvd drive on mac book pro

My internal DVD drive has quit, so I purchased an apple external DVD drive. How do I get me mac book pro to recognize and install it?

Hi chrisweide,
Mac computers that shipped with a built-in SuperDrive may not be compatible with the external Apple SuperDrive:
Mac computers: Apple USB SuperDrive and MacBook Air SuperDrive compatibility
Regards,
- Brenden

Install Windows 8 on macbook pro with external dvd drive

My superdrive have broken, anyone have experience installing windows 8 on macbook pro with external dvd drive?
Last night, I tried but end of with black screen.

Bguzryanto wrote:
the main point is 'anyone have exprerince install windows 8 with external dvd drive on macbook pro'
Purchase new superdrive, takes 2-3 weeks for shipping at my city.
It can't be done. If your computer has an internal optical drive, working or not, that is the drive you must use. Only computers such as the Macbook Pro Retina/Macbook Air that have no internal optical drive can install Windows from an external drive.

Need advice with internal DVD Drive

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